Expression of Cowpea VuWRKY21 and VuWRKY87 Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana Confers Plant Tolerance to Salt Stress

WRKY transcription factors play a pivotal role in regulating stress signaling pathways, including those associated with salt stress response. The present work characterized the effects of two WRKY genes from Vigna unguiculata, namely VuWRKY21 and VuWRKY87, on enhancing plant salinity tolerance. Under salt stress conditions, Arabidopsis lines expressing VuWRKY21 or VuWRKY87 showed elevated expression of genes participating in saline stress response pathways and reduced oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Among the salt-responsive genes in Arabidopsis, AtP5CS1, AtNHX1, AtRD29A, AtSOS3, AtSOS2, and AtSOS1 exhibited modulated expression levels after stress imposition. Furthermore, compared to wild-type plants, at most evaluated times, transgenic lines, on average, presented lower H2O2 content while displaying higher content of SOD (EC: 1.15.1.1) and CAT (EC: 1.11.1.6) at early stages of salt stress. These findings suggest that the expression of both VuWRKY genes in Arabidopsis, particularly VuWRKY21, activated genes involved in salinity tolerance.